The Reverse Sweeptag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-812486424237565552011-12-10T06:13:23+00:00An acerbic and irreverent twist on the wonderful world of cricketTypePadJames Pattinson and Big Brothertag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0162fd9c95d8970d2011-12-10T06:13:23+00:002011-12-10T06:13:23+00:00“One brother gets sent off, the other scores. Amazing” opined Barry Davies as Francois Omam Biyik’s header put unfancied Cameroon ahead against holders Argentina in the opening match of the 1990 World Cup. Not all siblings who share the international stage also end up enjoying success together. For every Steve and Mark Waugh or Bobby and Jack Charlton there is a Robin and Chris Smith or a Kamran and Umar Akmal (ok they’re both crap). In the wake of James Pattinson taking a second successive five wicket haul in his second Test, it would seem that he and his brother...The Reverse SweepThe worst Test XI of 2010tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0147e127ce38970b2011-01-01T08:15:01+00:002011-01-01T08:15:01+00:00After picking our best Test XI of 2010, we thought it might be fun to look at who was top of the flops, so here in all their glory (or should that be failure?), is our worst Test XI of the year: 1. Imran Farhat (383 runs at 23.93) - Two fifties in 16 innings is pitiful for a test match opening batsman and from what we saw of him in the summer in England, a test match opener is not something Farhat should be for much longer. 2. Imrul Kayes (292 runs at 20.85) - Not very good -...The Reverse SweepThe next 11 crazy events involving the Pakistan cricket teamtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b013488da3d43970c2010-11-10T08:07:34+00:002010-11-10T08:07:34+00:00Can Pakistan cricket get any crazier? Just when you think that it has reached a low, along comes Zulqarnain Haider doing his impersonation of the Scarlet Pimpernel as he vanished into thin air only to materialise sometime later at Heathrow Airport. We've been mulling over what is likely to happen next with the Pakistan cricket team, and after looking into our crystal ball we can confidently predict the next 11 major events. Zulqarnain becomes a bit of a celebrity in his new home in the UK and replaces the Irish bloke on the X Factor judges panel, has an affair...The Reverse SweepRevealed: New PCB Player Code of Conducttag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0133f52dfafa970b2010-10-19T08:11:01+01:002010-10-19T08:44:57+01:00Following the news that the PCB has revised its Player Code of Conduct, the Reverse Sweep has managed to glean a copy from a source whom we cannot reveal other than to say that he has been known to associate with the Bookies Circle. The Code, which takes the form of ten key guidelines for players provides illuminating reading: Henceforth, all players on tour must have a picture of our Dear Leader Chairman Butt above their bed with praise and thanks being given morning and evening. Remember who your Captain is. He is to be undermined and conspired against at...The Reverse SweepA canned Hollywood film about cricket, fixing and a homeless teamtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0134870cd98c970c2010-09-08T08:00:00+01:002010-09-08T14:56:23+01:00Living near Cannes means you get to become on first name terms with a number of renowned film directors, as they are frequently in town. At the weekend, I had a drink with one famous director who asked not to be named (let's just call him O. Rock), who told me a remarkable story about a film project he had worked on a couple of years ago. Basically, he had to pitch the idea to a sinister Hollywood studio boss he hadn't met before. The guy had a pretty fearsome reputation, so Rock decided to tape the meeting. He played...The Reverse SweepEngland vs Pakistan: 4th test - Pakistan marks out of ten tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0133f36f27b2970b2010-08-31T11:55:48+01:002010-08-31T13:10:25+01:00When England were 102 for seven just after lunch on Friday, the Pakistan team were in ecstasy as they contemplated completing their fightback to draw the series with England. But ecstasy turned to agony as first Jonathan Trott's and Stuart Broad's partnership and then a spineless batting display condemned Pakistan to their biggest ever test defeat. Then came the ignominy of the spot-fixing scandal, which could end the careers of a number of their side if the allegations are proven. So, it may seem churlish and unimportant now to cast our marks out of ten for the Pakistan XI who...The Reverse SweepThe Boundary View: No luck for Strauss again, Lord's, Day Onetag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0133f356cc30970b2010-08-27T08:42:33+01:002010-08-27T08:42:33+01:00Strauss' sad waltz plays on Though he hid it well, Andrew Strauss will have been particularly disappointed to have lost the toss under doom-laden skies at Lord's yesterday. He came into the match with questions hanging over his form, although to be fair it has been a particularly difficult series to open the batting where for the most part, high-quality seamers have had both pitch and overhead conditions in their favour. Sure enough, Strauss got an absolute beauty from Mohammad Asif that was full, swung and then nipped back to catch the England captain's inside edge and bowl him through...The Reverse SweepEngland vs Pakistan: 3rd test - Pakistan marks out of ten tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0133f33fb1d3970b2010-08-23T08:23:45+01:002010-08-23T08:23:46+01:00Spirit in the Pakistan camp is obviously high given that they were able to put heavy defeats at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston behind them to bounce back with avengeance at the Oval. Pakistan sides of recent vintage would have descended into chaos and recrimination after two such crushing defeats, so captain Salman Butt and coach Waqar Younis should take a lot of credit for avoiding this. Pakistan will now believe that they can square the series at Lord's and have a number of factors in their favour. Mohammad Yousuf has added calmness and solidity to the batting and his influence...The Reverse SweepThe Boundary View: Pakistan stumble to victory, The Oval, Day Fourtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0134866112a1970c2010-08-22T07:20:58+01:002010-08-22T07:20:59+01:00Fortune favours the brave Imran Farhat was rendered virtually strokeless during the Edgbaston test, even managing a 24 ball duck in the first innings. But yesterday he did a passable impersonation of Tamim Iqbal as he launched Pakistan's run chase with a flurry of boundaries. He had some luck, but on this occasion it was definitely a case of fortune favouring the brave. On the other hand... Andrew Strauss has never been the most attacking of captains, but his field settings at the start of Pakistan's run chase were negative even by his standards. Given Pakistan's batting weaknesses during the...The Reverse SweepThe Boundary View: England vs Pakistan, The Oval, Day Twotag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0133f32fed0b970b2010-08-20T07:38:13+01:002010-08-20T07:38:14+01:00Pakistan were on top for a second successive day at The Oval as they battled to gain a useful first innings lead of 75 before reducing England to 6/1 at the close with Andrew Strauss already back in the hutch. Form is temporary, class is permanent Or so the old adage goes. Mohammad Yousuf looked like a man batting from memory when he first came to the crease yesterday - hardly surprising when you consider he has hardly picked up a bat in anger for seven months. But he dug in and rode his luck before lunch whilst still managing...The Reverse SweepEngland vs Pakistan: 2nd test - Pakistan marks out of tentag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0133f2f1e566970b2010-08-09T21:11:18+01:002010-08-09T21:11:19+01:00Another defeat for Pakistan looked inevitable right from Salman Butt's foolhardy call at the toss. Butt's move was intended to be a positive one, but the negative strokeless approach of Pakistan's batsmen was always likely to be ill-advised and so it proved as they fell to an embarrassing 72 all out. Pakistan could have collapsed into disarray after that, but they didn't and Butt must take some credit for that. His side fought back on both the second and third days to first restrict England to 251 after at one time being 177 for two. Then the lower order resisted...The Reverse SweepThe never-ending soap opera of Pakistan crickettag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b013485fab3d2970c2010-08-05T09:00:00+01:002010-08-05T09:00:00+01:00So, Mohammad Yousuf rides into town on his trusty white steed to save the Pakistan cricket team from further ignominy after the heavy defeat at Trent Bridge. Captain Salman Butt and Coach Waqar Younis were apparently not consulted. It seems a strange decision on a number of counts. Firstly, Yousuf has not played any serious cricket since March and was supposedly 'retired' from international cricket. Two, if an experienced player was sent for, would it not have made more sense that it was Younis Khan, who at least has played county cricket in the last month or so? Three, why...The Reverse SweepEngland vs Pakistan: 1st test - Pakistan marks out of tentag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0133f2ca91f4970b2010-08-02T13:30:00+01:002010-08-02T09:14:37+01:00After the euphoria of the Headingley win over Australia, Pakistan came crashing down to earth with a bump at Trent Bridge. The margin of victory didn't tell the whole story however, as on Saturday afternoon with England 98 for six, some Pakistan supporters may have been sensing an unlikely victory. However, the Pakistan batting is in such a parlous state that even chasing a target of 120 would have probably been beyond them. To say the batters let down the star pace trio of Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer and Umar Gul would be a massive understatement. The PCB have now...The Reverse SweepPakistan vs Australia - Pakistan marks out of tentag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0133f28bc786970b2010-07-26T09:57:41+01:002010-07-26T09:57:41+01:00Pakistan cricket can be accused of a lot of things but boring is not one of them. Accordingly, a wonderful test match at Headingley had a fittingly nail biting ending before Pakistan finally threw the monkey off their backs and beat Australia in a test match for the first time since Mushtaq Ahmed spun them to victory at Sydney in 1995. It may only have been a two match series, but the MCC Spirit of Cricket Series saw Pakistan field two captains after Shahid Afridi lost his marbles at Lord's. Salman Butt made an impressive start to his reign. He...The Reverse SweepOpeners - an endangered species?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b01310ffba8bf970c2010-03-30T16:54:04+01:002010-03-30T16:54:04+01:00Once upon a time an opening batsman, especially a test match opening batsman used to be a member of an exclusive club. Noticeably different from their middle order colleagues in style and technique, the opening batsman was considered a specialist role and certainly not one that non-openers were queueing up to try. My, how things have changed. These days the number of specialist openers actually opening the batting is so few, I am starting to wonder if they are going the way of the dodo. Take Australia for example. Shane Watson used to be an injury prone, under-performing all-rounder who...The Reverse SweepThe real face of Ijaz Butt revealed...tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b01310f8c8eec970c2010-03-11T10:49:01+00:002010-03-11T10:49:01+00:00Following the execution of Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan and the incarceration or shaming of Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Naved-ul-Hasan and the Akmal brothers, the real sinister face of PCB chairman Ijaz Butt is revealed...The Reverse SweepIjaz 'Davros' Butt and PCB daleks exterminate Pakistan crickettag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b01310f85bad7970c2010-03-10T08:37:57+00:002010-03-10T08:37:57+00:00Fans of Doctor Who and Pakistan cricket will be hoping that the Tardis lands at the HQ of the PCB as soon as possible after Ijaz Butt and his Dalek cronies decided that the best cure for Pakistan cricket's ills was to exterminate most of its best players. As a result of the inquiry into the disastrous tour of Australia, Butt has taken unprecedented action and effectively sacked Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan from the Pakistan side for good. One year bans have been given to Shoaib Malik and Naved-ul-Hasan, and suspended sentences and heavy fines to the Akmal brothers...The Reverse SweepAn XI of youngsters to shine in 2010 and beyondtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b012876d038d1970c2010-01-13T15:39:24+00:002010-01-13T15:39:24+00:00And so the noughties have passed and a new decade dawns. Who will be the new names to shine in 2010 and beyond? An XI of likely stars is presented below, with all players, minus one exception, under 23 and that player (Khawaja) is only four weeks past his 23rd birthday. Some are already establishing themselves in international cricket, others beginning to make their mark in domestic cricket. Look out for them as they could become to the new decade what Ponting, Kallis, Pietersen, Laxman, Flintoff, Gilchrist, McGrath and Warne et al were to the past decade. 1. Adrian Barath...The Reverse SweepThe next Sachin?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0120a735b61b970b0120a785e315970b2009-12-28T16:36:21+00:002009-12-28T16:36:21+00:00Now Pakistan have a habit of producing wonderfully talented teenagers But Umar, brother of Kamran, could be the best of the lot Eye catching performances in the World T20 and ICC Champions Trophy Then a hundred on test debut on a seam friendly pitch at Dunedin And 75 to boot in the second innings in a brave attempt to win the match His good form continued throughout the rest of the series against the Kiwis But now a step up in class, opposition and occasion Against a fired up Australian side with their tails up in the Boxing Day test...The Reverse Sweep